RACE

A scripture that kept coming to my mind when we were talking about RACE is D&C 132:8, which reads, "Behold, mine house is a house of order, saith the Lord God, and not a house of confusion." The BYUSA mission teaches us that we are trying to build Zion communities, and Zion is a place that is done the way the Lord would have it. Through this scripture we learn that the Lord wants a house of order, and in order to keep things that way, we need to have planned ahead.

RACE helps us accomplish just that. I think that RACE is a tool that is as useful as we make it. I personally think it's a great idea because it forces us to plan ahead and seek out all options before we create our action plan. I rarely have my best ideas the first time around, and RACE helps me to create an organized plan so I can do my best in my programs. I also think that by understanding RACE, I can be more effective as a leader because once I understand it I can help others to understand it. If everyone is planning ahead and uses this tool then I think that it will save everyone a lot of stress and headaches down the road. :)

I plan to use RACE in my programs (True Blue Tuesdays, the "Redefine Service" campaigns, Service Squad, and the Brigham Awards). I am excited to get all my PDs on board and going. I sat in on the basecamp training with the Activities area today and got excited about that program. I think that basecamp and RACE together will make for some very effective programs! I like basecamp because we all can be on the same page, and I think that if we use RACE to its full capacity it could work the same way. I liked the way that Activities set up the RACE sheet as a Google Doc so everyone can see the edits. I'm going to be working with Dallin in the next few days to get that template set up on my programs as well because I think that will be very useful. I'm glad that we got the RACE lesson so early in the term so we can implement it.

BYUSA Vision and Mission

This week I had the amazing opportunity to attend Adventure Experience for BYUSA. While there I was thinking about the challenge we were issued in class on Monday to consider how I can best implement the BYUSA vision in my role as an ED and also to study the mission statement. I think that the last few days have given me a lot of food for thought and I am excited to implement the ideas this coming year.

As cliche as this sounds, I love the vision of BYUSA. The vision says: As a part of a BYU education, the Student Service Association's vision is to be leaders centered on Jesus Christ, who contribute to the building of Zion communities which are united in heart and mind that there be no intellectually, spiritually, emotionally, or physically poor among us. I feel like all of us serving in BYUSA have a unique opportunity to implement this in our leadership. In order to be "leaders centered in Jesus Christ" we need to understand His attributes. Christ was the ultimate example of the "servant leader" that we talked about. In my New Testament class last term we talked about when Christ washed the feet of His disciples, a task usually reserved for the servant. If Christ, the Son of God, was willing to adopt that mentality, then we need to do the same.

The next part of the vision that I want to address talks about building Zion communities. I think that we got a glimpse of what a Zion community can be like these last few days.  I have felt like we have become "of one heart and one mind." We have laughed, struggled through difficult hikes, played games, served, and talked together for the last few days and we became closer. Even though I won't be able to take my PDs to Park City, I think that those experiences can be recreated and that same feeling can permeate our office. I loved what Brother Cox told us this morning about how to make this experience great. I think that his suggestions can help us make sure that "there are no intellectually, spiritually, emotionally, or physically poor among us." If we are careful to include everyone, to listen effectively, and to serve with love we can make a difference. I think that each of us can make a difference in the world. Our difference won't be recognized nationally, but it will be recognized by individuals. And by making a difference in the lives of individuals, we are making a huge impact. Service starts a chain; once someone is served they serve someone who serves someone else. And if that goes around long enough, we can change the world.

The mission of BYUSA is wonderful as well. I think the mission captures what all of us are searching for in this organization. A few of the points mentioned in the mission really resonated with me and I'd like to discuss them. The first point is "a sense of belonging." Hearing our leaders talk about the students who sit at home alone on Friday nights made me want to reach as many students as I can. I think that BYU has so much more than academics to offer (even though the academics are great) and if we can get just one more student to have a good experience, then we have made a positive change.

The next point I want to discuss is "divine-centered leadership." I feel like when I am serving God's children, I become closer to Heavenly Father and His Son. Christ is the perfect example of service and I am striving to emulate Him. Christ loved everyone that He came in contact with, and made everyone feel valued. Can you imagine what would happen if every single person who walked into the office next year was greeted with a smile and found a leader who wants to get to know them and who loves them for who they are? BYU is a very diverse school. The students come from all kinds of backgrounds and have unique experiences that have affected personalities and opinions. I am excited to find PDs and get to know them because I know that I become smarter by listening to others. I'm the first to admit that my ideas are not always the best, and I feel like different personalities make the organization stronger. When we emulate Christ and His love for all people, our jobs become more enjoyable and we learn from those we are different from.

The last topic I want to address is a "commitment to future service." As I sat listening to our many inspirational speakers I couldn't help but look around at those around me. I felt like I was seeing future
Relief Society, Elders Quorum, Young Women, and even government leaders. BYUSA has inspired me and I plan to serve in the Church and my community long into the future. I think that once people catch the "service bug" as I sometimes call it, there is no going back. The feeling of love for those you serve and the knowledge that you are making a difference is too strong to resist. I know that many of the past BYUSA leaders have gone on to serve in many different capacities and I don't think it's a coincidence. I love the fact that here at BYU the majority of the students are LDS and we are all striving to become more like God. I love the quote by President Kimball that says "we cannot have spirituality without service." I know that is true. I have a testimony of the power of service and I am looking forward to a wonderful year serving with my fellow students.

DanceSport!

 

I haven't posted in a while, and this was a big event this semester, so I figured it was a perfect time to start up again. I wanted to try something new this semester, so I decided to take a ballroom dance class. As part of the class, we were required to compete in or attend the DanceSport National Championships. I chose to compete, and I'm so glad I did! I competed in the quickstep and my partner was Erik Lovell. It was a wonderful experience... once I got there. :) We had to be there at 7:45 all lined up and ready to dance. I was going to get up nice and early and be all ready to go before we needed to meet up. I woke up at 7:30 to the sound of a text on my phone. It was Erik. He told me that he was outside the Marriott ready to go. I jumped out of bed and starting putting my contacts in while I called him. When he answered I told him I had bad news. He said, "You broke your leg." I told him no, and explained the situation. He started laughing and told me not to worry and to just get there as soon as I could. I brushed my teeth while I got dressed and I threw my shoes in a bag. I finished putting my hair in a ponytail as I slipped my black flats on and started to sprint to the Marriott. I arrived there at 7:50 and out of breath. Erik started to go in and I was hunting around in my bag for my wallet (that had my entry ticket in it). I realized that I had forgotten it back at Heritage! I was starting to panic when Erik ran back to his stuff and got his wallet to buy me a ticket. He bought it, we went in, and I changed my shoes while he ran my flats and jacket up to where his stuff was. We lined up, he grabbed my hand to escort me onto the floor and we danced. The first round was a bit of a mess. :) We both messed up the routine (at the same place and in the same way, thank goodness) and in the middle my heel interlocked with the heel of the girl next to me. I didn't fall down (I got that out of my system Thursday in class when I fell flat on my back. Erik tried to pull me up before I fell but it was too late and we both landed on our backs in the middle of the ballroom.) but we definitely had some difficulty. By some miracle we made it the second round, and I credit that to the fact that we were both smiling. We danced the second and third rounds, and then got eliminated right before quarter-finals. It was a little disappointing, but DanceSport was still a great experience. There is such a rush to performing! You just step out on the floor and give it all you have. I loved hearing people yelling our number cheering us on and just dancing. I'd love to do it again, but next time, my alarm had better go off! :)

Love Always,

Mallory

Girls Night!

To celebrate the end of the semester, and to send McKenzie off with a bang, we decided to have a girls night on Saturday. We convinced one of our FHE sisters to take pictures for us, and we had a lot of fun doing crazy poses. The picture I posted here is the one that makes us feel like we're a band. :) After pictures we went to Spaghetti Factory because we had a coupon for six Italian sodas. It was such a yummy dinner, yeah for real food! When we came back, we dragged a couch in from the lobby (Shh! Don't tell the RA) and propped our couch up on the kitchen chairs so we could have theater seating for the movie. We ate candy and laughed for the rest of the night.

It seems like time really has flown this semester. I am so lucky to have had such wonderful roommates over this semester. We're definitely going to miss McKenzie, but we all wish her luck in Arizona with her band. Saturday night was a wonderful relief from studying, and it was great to just be with everyone for a few hours.

Love Always,
Mallory

Home Sweet Home

This weekend was such a fun one! It was great to see friends and just be home in Rexburg with my family. Thanksgiving was super yummy, and I think everything tasted better because I was eating at home. :) We got a lot of Christmas shopping done too, which was nice.

I got to go to the Cocoa Bean with the little girls today, and we had a lot of fun. Those cupcakes are super yummy, but huge. We split them and then wandered around Porter's until we found a craft for all of us to work on together. We settled on buttons and then went and got headbands. When we got home we glued the buttons on the headbands and we all have a cute accessory now.

It was a great week, and it was nice to just be able to relax and have fun. Now it's time to get back to school and work, work, work until finals!

Love Always,
Mallory